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Jane Austen's Letters
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Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
Author: Jane Austen
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Average Customer Rating:
Our Price: $16.50
You Save: $ 8.50 ( 34% )
Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
Author: Jane Austen
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Average Customer Rating:
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Jane Austen's Letters Description
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.7
EAN: 9780192832979
ISBN: 0192832972
Label: Oxford University Press, USA
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 672
Publication Date: 1997-04-03
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Studio: Oxford University Press, USA
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.7
EAN: 9780192832979
ISBN: 0192832972
Label: Oxford University Press, USA
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
Number Of Items: 1
Book Pages: 672
Publication Date: 1997-04-03
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Studio: Oxford University Press, USA
Editorial Review of Jane Austen's Letters
Jane Austen famously labeled her literary ambit a "little bit (two inches wide) of ivory." Luckily, her personal travels and those of her family were slightly more extensive, otherwise we should be without her letters. Not only should every Janeite possess them, but also every connoisseur of correspondence. Austen's wit is ubiquitous--even though some protest it edges into waspishness. E. M. Forster, for example, described the letters between Austen and her beloved sister, Cassandra, as "the whinnying of harpies."
On September 18, 1796, she tells Cassandra, "What dreadful Hot weather we have!--It keeps one in a continual state of Inelegance.--If Miss Pearson should return with me, pray be careful not to expect too much Beauty..." The dashes and capitalization alone make one long for the days before stylistic rules had so cemented. As for the sentiments! Austen paces her monologues to perfection, making the comic and ironic most out of the smallest incidents. Still, her frustration does occasionally emerge. "I am forced to be abusive," she implodes to Cassandra, "for want of a subject, having nothing really to say." Jane Austen has more than enough to say for lovers of literature and the cultural pinprick.
Customer Reviews of Jane Austen's Letters
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Terrible treatment of an important collection
Review: I was looking for an unabridged edition of her letters, rather than a selection, and was thrilled to find this; then when I received it, I found it badly bound, the pages falling out as soon as I opened the book, badly typeset, with no footnotes or other explanatory material. The fault is my own, for not looking up the publisher beforehand; I will certainly avoid them in the future.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: good contents but poor presentation
Review: It's great to have such a compilation of Jane Austen's Letters, but unfortunately the edition I bought looks like a xerox photocopy more than a book. It's difficult to discover it when it's an internet purchase. Thank God it was for myself and not a gift, 'cause I'd be a little ashamed to give it to someone else...
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Amazing Treat!
Review: I ordered Deirdre Le Faye's edition of Jane Austen's Letters with a certain amount of trepidation, which only increased when I received the book and realized its size. I am a huge Jane Austen fan, but I was afraid her personal letters might be boring, confusing, and hard to wade through. I was wrong!!! The very first letter, with its mention of Tom Lefroy, had me hooked! Jane Austen's letters are every bit as engaging as her novels. They are full of the wit and humor with which those of who read her novels are very familiar. It is such an amazing treat to get a glimpse at who Jane Austen really was to her family and friends.
Most of Jane Austen's letters are to her sister Cassandra, but there are also letters to her brothers, friends, and towards the end, her nieces and nephews as well as publishers. The letters start off very conversationally with updates on family, friends, and acquaintances as well as minutia about dress and household cares. Towards the end there are many references to her novels and their publication, and Jane Austen's excitement over publication and popular success as a novelist is very evident. Jane Austen even gives advice on love and marriage to one of her nieces. I must confess, the last several letters before her death and Cassandra's letters afterwards were very sobering after hundreds of pages of almost pure delight.
As much as I enjoyed Deirdre Le Faye's edition of Jane Austen's Letters, I do realize it is not for everyone. Since there are so many family members and friends mentioned in the letters, it would help to have read biographical material about Jane Austen previous to reading her letters. Otherwise, the letters may be a bit confusing. I believe this edition is the most current and up-to-date compilation of her letters, and I would highly recommend it to serious Jane Austen fans already somewhat familiar with her life.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Shoddy treatment of such valuable things!
Review: I dare not argue with the importance of Jane Austen's letters, nor with the pleasure to be obtained by reading them. This edition, however, is the poorest-bound book I have ever seen! I just received it in the mail, and the copyright page has already fallen out. The margins are equally dismal, and I am afraid one reading will finish the whole thing off. Buy this edition if you must, but find a better copy if you can.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Great insight into an author who didn't write enough!
Review: I think all Austen fans lament her early death - only six completed novels just isn't enough!
These letters do help fill that gap. Austen was smart, honest, funny; you can hear her voice so clearly in these letters. It is a shame that her sister destroyed most of her letters before she died (since she thought they were too indecent or personal or just downright mean!), but I allow Austen SOME privacy! These letters are just wonderful.
The only slight drawback is that, as a lay person, the layout was a little cumbersome. I'm not a Regency expert, so I needed to keep flipping back to the explanatory notes to understand the language. That flipping became annoying at times. I would prefer to have the notes at the bottom of the page so I could scan them without leaving the body of the letter. Just a personal preference thing, though.
Review Summary: Terrible treatment of an important collection
Review: I was looking for an unabridged edition of her letters, rather than a selection, and was thrilled to find this; then when I received it, I found it badly bound, the pages falling out as soon as I opened the book, badly typeset, with no footnotes or other explanatory material. The fault is my own, for not looking up the publisher beforehand; I will certainly avoid them in the future.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: good contents but poor presentation
Review: It's great to have such a compilation of Jane Austen's Letters, but unfortunately the edition I bought looks like a xerox photocopy more than a book. It's difficult to discover it when it's an internet purchase. Thank God it was for myself and not a gift, 'cause I'd be a little ashamed to give it to someone else...
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Amazing Treat!
Review: I ordered Deirdre Le Faye's edition of Jane Austen's Letters with a certain amount of trepidation, which only increased when I received the book and realized its size. I am a huge Jane Austen fan, but I was afraid her personal letters might be boring, confusing, and hard to wade through. I was wrong!!! The very first letter, with its mention of Tom Lefroy, had me hooked! Jane Austen's letters are every bit as engaging as her novels. They are full of the wit and humor with which those of who read her novels are very familiar. It is such an amazing treat to get a glimpse at who Jane Austen really was to her family and friends.
Most of Jane Austen's letters are to her sister Cassandra, but there are also letters to her brothers, friends, and towards the end, her nieces and nephews as well as publishers. The letters start off very conversationally with updates on family, friends, and acquaintances as well as minutia about dress and household cares. Towards the end there are many references to her novels and their publication, and Jane Austen's excitement over publication and popular success as a novelist is very evident. Jane Austen even gives advice on love and marriage to one of her nieces. I must confess, the last several letters before her death and Cassandra's letters afterwards were very sobering after hundreds of pages of almost pure delight.
As much as I enjoyed Deirdre Le Faye's edition of Jane Austen's Letters, I do realize it is not for everyone. Since there are so many family members and friends mentioned in the letters, it would help to have read biographical material about Jane Austen previous to reading her letters. Otherwise, the letters may be a bit confusing. I believe this edition is the most current and up-to-date compilation of her letters, and I would highly recommend it to serious Jane Austen fans already somewhat familiar with her life.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Shoddy treatment of such valuable things!
Review: I dare not argue with the importance of Jane Austen's letters, nor with the pleasure to be obtained by reading them. This edition, however, is the poorest-bound book I have ever seen! I just received it in the mail, and the copyright page has already fallen out. The margins are equally dismal, and I am afraid one reading will finish the whole thing off. Buy this edition if you must, but find a better copy if you can.
Customer Rating:
Review Summary: Great insight into an author who didn't write enough!
Review: I think all Austen fans lament her early death - only six completed novels just isn't enough!
These letters do help fill that gap. Austen was smart, honest, funny; you can hear her voice so clearly in these letters. It is a shame that her sister destroyed most of her letters before she died (since she thought they were too indecent or personal or just downright mean!), but I allow Austen SOME privacy! These letters are just wonderful.
The only slight drawback is that, as a lay person, the layout was a little cumbersome. I'm not a Regency expert, so I needed to keep flipping back to the explanatory notes to understand the language. That flipping became annoying at times. I would prefer to have the notes at the bottom of the page so I could scan them without leaving the body of the letter. Just a personal preference thing, though.